Cross-Dimensional Jinn
by SilverSamurai26
Summary: Things have been quiet for a few years now, and the Guardians feel content once again. However, Ombric reports of an escaped monster, and Aster claims that something with a Pookan face has stolen his relic and disappeared into a strange portal. Looks like the Guardians will have to follow it through to other worlds to get back what was stolen. Better summary inside.
1. Part 1: The Beginning

_**Summary:**_

**This is a story of when the Guardians had to chase a failed creature of Mother Nature's making, across many dimensions, to get Bunny's relic of light back. They'll go to many strange worlds that don't follow the same rules of their own, and all the while the creature they chase is getting smarter. Eventual crossovers between RotG and The Nightmare Before Christmas; Watership Down; How to Train your Dragon; The Little Mermaid and more. Hints of JackRabbit will be put in, here and there, until later. Rated T for now, to give myself some creative freedom.**

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**_A new story that really ignited my creative spark. I know I have two other stories that I need to get done, but one of them has become very "blah" to me, while I have writer's block for the other one. I still plan on getting both done, but it will take some time. I literally thrive on writing more than one thing at a time, because not only does it keep me writing when I get stuck in one spot, but I can learn from certain stories to make other stories better._**

**_Therefore, I'm going to start writing this crossover fic. I've already enjoyed writing the prologue, so I'm excited to see where everything else will go._**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians, Guardians of Childhood or any of the crossover characters/worlds that will appear in later chapters. I do not gain any profit from this, because it is purely a story that was created out of my love for these worlds, and I only want others to see the worlds how I see them. ^v^ I have mixed the RotG and GoC worlds together, so some characters will be a mixture of their persona from both the movie and the books. I'm sorry if any of them are severely OOC (not my intention) and if I mess up any of the facts from any of the worlds. Please correct me if I make mistakes of any kind. Thanks!  
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_**Cross-Dimensional Jinn:**_

**Part 1: The Beginning**

**Prologue:**

So dark…

The walls are hard and cold… like stone.

Yet, they are not.

Smooth and chilled, but black as night; I cannot see through these walls, though I do try. They shimmer, as though a liquid, yet they are as strong as a father's firm hand.

I cannot get through these walls…

I cannot escape…

Not yet.

I close my eyes, though it makes little difference. It is so dark in this place that I could sleep with my eyes wide open, and I'd never see change. The blackness of this place is inescapable.

Drearily, I let my mind slip into this darkness.

On most occasions, when I allow myself to go into the darkness, I find that I can escape this place. The stones vanish, and I can see into other places. Sometimes these places are nearby- right outside the walls- other times, they are of places so far away, that one could never hope to reach them without a bit of magic.

Do not mistake this- These are not dreams. I truly can see these places as they happen to be. I just cannot reach them…

But, it is only rarely that I get the honor of these visions. Most of the time, there is only darkness. And in-between these visions and darkness, there are memories.

It is a memory which I slip into…

/\/\/\\.../\/\/\\.../\/\/\\.../\/\/\\.../\/\/\\.../\/\/\\.../\/\/\

"You are, by far, my favorite." A melodically smooth voice whispers.

I do not know this creature who speaks to me. I feel animalistic, and young, so my knowledge of this creature is limited. The scent tells my instincts that it is female. She is tall, standing on two limbs, and using two others to stroke my… back?

Words for things do not come easily to me. I have a limited thought process, and all I can think about is instinct.

Myself.

Female- Large.

Protect myself.

Female- Dangerous.

Hide…

I back away from the hand and the female creature coos.

"Do not be afraid my poor thing. I only want to name you."

Name? What is a "name"?

The creature backs away and seems to think. I do not understand what she is doing, for thinking is not an instinctual thing, and therefore it is unknown to me.

While the creature is distracted I look around. I must find a place to hide from this thing.

It is a large place, and I cannot hope to understand what anything is, let alone where I am. Strange things walk and flutter about, while other things seem to grow from the very floor and ceiling. Not that I know what such structures are yet.

Before I can decide on a good hiding spot, the creature has returned. She reaches for me, and before I can bolt she is lifting me up in her limbs.

"Jinn." She says, but it sounds to me as the rest of her words do. "I shall call you Jinn."

The creature is holding me close to her as she begins to walk through the large place that we're in.

'It's a den.' I think, though I do not understand how I know what a den is. I have the feeling of knowing, yet the word means almost nothing to me.

Words were meaningless to me back then.

Suddenly, the world begins to misshapen itself, as if it were a fresh wall of paint being washed away with a hose.

Soon, I am looking through dark bars. A cage, though I can only understand that I am trapped, and not what I am trapped in.

Two figures stand before me. One is the woman whom I dislike for whatever reason, and the other is a male whom I do not know. They are talking hushedly a ways away from me, but soon turn their gazes in my direction. The male sighs before walking over to me, the woman following from behind.

"It's a monster." She says. And for a moment I feel a stinging sensation in my heart. I do not understand the feeling, but I do know that this woman hurt me somehow, and that I wish to be away from her because of it.

I growl at them, wishing they'd back off, for I cannot flee as I used to in the other strange place. I cannot get away.

However, the male only draws nearer at my weak attempts to scare them. My voice is still small for I have barely grown since coming to be, so there is little threat in my tone.

"But… you made it, didn't you?" the male asks. The woman seems to bristle with agitation which only serves to put my naïve nerves more on edge.

"You tell me this every time." She says in annoyance. The male turns his back on me, to look at her.

"I would not if you didn't fail so often."

The room goes cold, as it usually does when the woman gets angry. I had only caused this reaction once, and that was why I was here now.

"You should know as well as anyone that creating something perfect is near impossible without a million failures along the way."

The man nods his head, seemingly in understanding.

"Still," he responds as he looks back to me. "I don't understand why I have to be the one to keep them caged. All of your 'failures' are beginning to stink up the place."

"Then find a way to be rid of them. I could not, but maybe you can think something up, oh Great and Wise Wizard." The woman snapped sarcastically. However, I did not understand sarcasm, for it was not yet of my nature to understand. Everything was all too literal for me.

However, I took her words in all the same. There was no reason for me to, but whenever she said something new, I made a silly effort to remember her words. As if I'd learn something.

And without realizing it, I actually had.

Her words meant nothing to me yet, but I could tell that she was calling him something.

"Ohgreatandwisewizard"? Too long. I didn't like it. I would just think of him as "Andwise" and nothing more. The same way that I had come to know the woman as "Mother", but only because she insisted, and I eventually learned that I did not like thinking of her as what she wanted. "Woman" was enough, for I had learned that, that was what she was. I would only revert back to "Mother" later on, when I was trapped and alone.

"Fine." Andwise conceded. "But what exactly is he? How am I to keep him?"

"I named him Jinn. I didn't give his species a name, for I never planned to make more. He wasn't supposed to be so hostile; I was planning on giving him to the Guardians when he was older, so he could help them fight Pitch, but in the end, he was a waste of time." She paused in her explanation to look sadly at me. Of course, I had no idea why. Her expression only made me growl; her speech had fallen upon my deaf ears. She turned back to Andwise.

"You are to keep him in a Cage of Eternal Darkness. Don't bother feeding him- he doesn't eat- and just let him alone. The creature doesn't need anything to survive, though he may wither and ware. Up until now he has been feasting upon a special power source that I made for him. It would have allowed him to do a great many things, but now it would only be dangerous for him to have it."

Andwise nodded in understanding, never turning his gaze from me. Noticing this, I fixated my own glare upon him. I saw him flinch and immediately I could smell his shame for doing so. I grinned cruelly.

"Why did you make it look like that?" he asked. The woman shrugged.

"I didn't. He can look however he pleases, though that power will fade in time the longer he's away from the power source that I made for him. Honestly, Ombric, you won't even know he's here. In time, you'll forget what he looked like; the memory of his features will be replaced with the cage he will forever live behind." Andwise- whom, nowadays, I know as Ombric- said nothing, and only continued to stare. He did not seem pleased, but who was I to judge emotions then?

"Fine." He finally said. "If that's how it will be, then I see no problems." There was a pause as the woman sighed in relief.

"However, you're certain he won't be able to escape?" The woman bristled once again.

"Are you daft? Of course I'm certain! I know my creations better than anyone else!" At this, Andwise turned towards her, his expression deadpanned.

"Then how do you fail so often?" The temperature rose high as the woman's eyes burned.

"_Shut up!_"

After that, I remembered nothing but being put into eternal darkness.

/\/\/\\.../\/\/\\.../\/\/\\.../\/\/\\.../\/\/\\.../\/\/\\.../\/\/\

I awoke with a start.

It had been awhile since I had those memories, and they always left me shaken. I understood them now though- much better than before, thanks to my visions of other worlds.

However, my knowledge was still limited. And even if I did know more, what would I do with my knowledge? I was trapped in darkness for all eternity.

For a creature that cannot die, but instead can only wither away slowly, eternity is a terribly long time. A time I do not fancy spending in this cage.

But alas, I am powerless to do anything. It had been who-knows-how-many years since my entrapment, and my saved up energy, derived from the power source that Mother had made for me, was all but spent. It had only been a few years after being put in this cage, that I found my ability to change figures was now impossible. I was no longer only trapped in this cage, but also in this old body.

The sad part is that I don't even know what I look like- for I can see nothing. But I do know that I have fur, terribly sharp teeth, three eyes, two long, fluffy tails and six legs. My ears are so small, I doubt they're actually there sometimes, and my nose is so large I sometimes wonder if I created a trunk.

It doesn't matter though. A form in darkness is all but useless, for I, nor anyone else can see it.

I sigh heavily before attempting to go back into the darkness of sleep.

However, before I can slip, a voice enters into my very small ears.

"What poor creature are you?" it asks as smoothly as Mother's voice. There's an eerie tone to it though, and I can register that it sounds male. For a moment, I wonder if the shadows had finally begun to speak to me.

I would find, later, that I wasn't entirely wrong.

I bristle my fur as I stand.

"Whose there?" I ask dangerously.

"Why so hostile?" the being asks simply. He doesn't seem faltered by my demeanor.

"I'm a friend." He finally says, as if relaxing with an old acquaintance. I growl low- my tone of voice has become much more threatening over the many years of my life.

"I have no friends. Be gone before I tear your throat out." I threaten.

"I think you'll find that difficult. For one, you don't know where I am. For all of your years spent in pitch darkness, your eyes have never accustomed to it. Have they?"

I don't question how he knows this and simply strike out with a forepaw. Wait… claw? Well then, that makes tearing skin easier.

"Now, now- none of that. Can't you see that I came here to help you? Well, you can't see much of anything at the moment, but that's exactly what I want to fix."

I take a moment to ponder this. Where once I would have ignored him and simply lashed out in fear, now I was a bit more clever. I was no longer that naïve creation that worked on instinct.

Perhaps if Mother had known that I could learn, she would not have so easily thrown me away…

"How?" I ask the voice, choosing to stay cautious and defensive.

"It's very simple really. Ombric didn't think that I knew about this place, and I honestly haven't for a very long time. Two very powerful spirits were the ones who fortified it, after all. It has taken me millenniums to breach the protective seals and defensive spells put upon it. I'd dare say that I've performed a miracle."

"Yes, yes. You're very talented." I had picked up a small amount of sarcasm during my vision visits. "But how can you get me out? I could care less about getting in."

"Well," the voice rolled it out, as if savoring the word. "I only ever do things when there's something in it for me." Oh. So that's how it was going to be.

Looking about at the darkness, which was silly for there was nothing to look at, I quickly made up my mind that whatever this voice wanted, it would get, as long as he got me out of here.

"Fine." I snapped quickly. "What is it you want me to do?"

"Oh, nothing much. In fact, it will probably benefit you as much as it would me." At this he paused, letting his words sink in.

"Get on with it." I snapped impatiently. Did he not realize that I had been here long enough?

"You've been feeling tired, haven't you- these past hundreds of years?" he asked smoothly. I couldn't help but feel my bones creak and my eyes droop at his words. Slowly, I nodded my head. I could _hear_ his smile.

"I thought so. You poor thing. What you need is a power source. Something to liven those spirits up some, yes?" My attention snaps to these words like a moth to a flame.

"The one Mother made?" I ask, hopefully.

"No." I sag. "This power source is better. Stronger than the one Mother Nature gave you." Stronger? That made my body sing in excitement. I could be strong again! Away with this old, smelly body, and in with a new, better one!

"You just want me to keep this power source? Is that all?" I asked excitedly.

"Yes, of course." He said smoothly. He paused to let me rejoice in such a notion, before he continued with a more subdued tone. "Then again, there is the fact that you must steal it first."

"Steal?" I didn't understand the word.

"Yes. It means to take something that does not belong to you. A creature, much like yourself, is currently in possession of the power source in question. I cannot get it, for you see, his wards are old and much too powerful for me. Even stronger than the ones I had to break to get to you." He let the information sink in, and I began to doubt things. "He hides the power source deep underground, and only you can get it for me."

"How?" I ask quickly. "I am weak without it."

"Ah, but there I have you beat. I do have a small amount of power that you can use. It will be enough for now, and will dissipate almost as quickly as you've gained it, but it will do the trick. Enough to sneak in quickly, before they know you're even there."

I simply nod, understanding. Thievery, to me, was not a crime. Or at least, I did not understand that it was. In my mind I was simply taking one thing from another, because I needed it more. It never occurred to me that the object in question should stay where it was, simply because it didn't belong to me.

"Is that all?" I ask, ready to leave this wretched place.

"No." the voice answers, and I feel myself becoming agitated.

"Calm down, this is the last bit. Agree to this, and you're free." I nod in confirmation. "Good. Now, once you have the power source, you will need to leave quickly. The people we're taking it from will want it back, so they will try to steal it back from you. You must run from them, and do everything in your power to keep it away from them. If you can, it might be smartest to bring it back to me immediately after you've obtained it. At the very least, just get it outside of the wards so I can hide it from them."

The voice suddenly sounded cunning, but I was still naïve. I knew that there was a chance that he would keep the power for himself, but I honestly didn't care as long as I was out. It never occurred to me that he could do terrible things with such a powerful item.

"I'll do as you ask." I answer.

Suddenly, I am blinded by light.

It's beautiful.

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**_Okay, I'm gonna give a quick explanation to anyone whose reading my other in-progress stories. A lot has happened since I last updated a story, and I'm seriously fighting off major depression right now. First, I lost about 8,000 words worth of a story (one that was going somewhere, and I really wanted to post, but I accidentally didn't save it T^T). Second, my grandmother passed away. Literally my biggest fan and the one person I could talk to when I didn't trust anybody else. Such a bright person that never judged anybody. She died a few weeks before Easter, and I wrote a story for her that I may post later. It's very devastating for me to have lost her. Then, my Great Uncle passed away. I didn't know him as well as my grandma, but I know he was a great man, and I wish I had gotten to know him better._**

**_Other than that, there was also the little things: School, family (my dad in particular) and just plain life. So yeah. There's my excuses for not getting anything done for so long. I'm hoping this story can help drag me out of my stupor, because I really want to get those other stories done._**

**_Anyway, I'll try to get the next chapter out before the end of next week, but I probably shouldn't make any promises. ^_^"_**


	2. Chapter 1

_**Yay! Chapter 1 is done! I had a momentary pause when it came to the second half of this chapter, but only because I didn't know who I wanted to write about next- Bunny and Jack or Jinn and Pitch. I decided Jinn didn't need the spotlight- seeing as he already got enough of it in the prologue. So Jack and Bunny won me over in the end. Anyway, enjoy Chapter 1.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians, Guardians of Childhood or any of the crossover characters/worlds that will appear in later chapters. I do not gain any profit from this, because it is purely a story that was created out of my love for these worlds, and I only want others to see the worlds how I see them for enjoyment. ^v^ (Jinn was completely made up by me though…)**_

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**Chapter 1: **

Ombric was a wise man- of this, no one ever doubted. (Even if they were sometimes sarcastic about it.) He knew his place in the world, and knew that everything had its place. He had lived so long in his home in Big Root, that he could tell if any leaves had grown or fallen from any nearby trees, and he could sense when a child was upset without having to even see them.

He knew where everything belonged and how everything should be, and immediately could tell when something was out of place.

It was because of this, that Ombric felt shaken, though the day had started normally enough.

The children had come to their lessons with bright smiles, and then went out to play. The parents were hard at work, making sure their children were happy and their homes clean. The Lady of the forest, the Great Bear and the trees said that no thieves or fearlings had even attempted to show themselves- if they were there at all. Even Kathrine was home, writing in her old tree house with her beautiful Himalayan Goose, Kailash, sleeping peacefully beside her.

Absolutely nothing was wrong with their home.

And yet, Ombric felt horribly uneasy. There was just something nagging at him; begging him to make sure everything was as it should be.

He was about to give up and go about his day, when a thought occurred to him.

'_Were they all in the dungeon?_'

It was a very secret fact- one that no one but he, Mother Nature, and Manny himself knew- that, while Big Root was the home of Ombric- and its large trunk made a very good home, along with a library and classroom- its roots were another fact all together. No one paid much heed to the roots- they were what they were and only lifted from the ground when there was danger.

However, beyond this tactful defense, there was something more to them. While the outer roots acted as a defense system, the inner- and therefore much larger- roots twisted together to form something akin to a room. It wasn't a very large room, and because the roots and soil blocked the sun out, and the roots drank from the rain it was almost too moist and cold for comfort.

It was a dungeon. In a sense, that is. One that Ombric had constructed when Mother Nature came to him with her first failure. She needed a place to keep it- for she could not simply put it down. Not only was it impossible, but she still felt motherly compassion for the large beast. She loved it to much to kill it. So Ombric hid it where no one would ever think to look, and where nothing could escape.

As the years passed by, Mother Nature failed her projects more and more. And the more she failed, the more Ombric's Root Room was filled with cages and chains.

At one point, it got so full that he had to ask Big Root to stretch its roots downwards even more, making different floors and expanding the Monster Dungeon as far as it would go.

Soon, hundreds of strange creatures lived in its bowels. They were all creatures that could not be killed- this was either by accident, or Mother Nature thought she could get away with letting immortality into the mortal world- and they all had bad mannerisms. From hostile to bloodthirsty. There was not a one that could be given an award for even _minor _good behavior.

It was because the dungeon was so well protected, and the creatures having no way to escape, that Ombric hadn't even thought to check it. Not once had a creature ever escaped- and good riddance to that- but now Ombric wondered if he had gotten a bit too careless with his watch. Surely nothing had come of it- a little neglect had never hurt the status quo before- but upon entering the dungeon, Ombric knew his uneasiness had stemmed from here.

The creatures were in an uproar. Some yelled curses, others laughed loudly- either from hysterics, or because they knew Ombric had been had. From a few, whose languages were similar to a rat or a mole's, he was able to make out a bit of what had happened.

"Chic-chitty-chit-chit… Yum shadow man come… chit-chippity."

"Chip-chickity… Take-um animal away… chit-chit."

A monster had been taken by Pitch. That was what Ombric gathered from the strange languages.

But which one had escaped?! There were hundreds, and Ombric couldn't easily ask these foul creatures, who would rather escape and perhaps kill him before they said even a single kind word.

Just then, one of the more docile- but still quite foul mannered- creatures spoke up. It was difficult to understand it, for it spoke in a strange dialect between an owl- in which he was fluent- and a dragon.

"Heooss taken hoom. Thee box fiend." Such a difficult dialect, but Ombric thinks he gets it. He speaks back, imitating the words in English.

"He's taken him? The… Box friend? What box friend?" The sour creature scowled at Ombric, as if he had made a mess of his own language.

"Yoossss, yoossss. Box fiend- Eternel Doorknisss." It took Ombric a moment, before fear shot down his spine.

No... Not that one. He'd take on any of the creatures here but that one.

Honestly, he didn't know why he didn't want the escaped creature to be Jinn. He didn't remember that creature being particularly nasty. However, just the fact that he no longer knew what Jinn looked like, and only the domineering black box that held him, seemed to be enough to try his nerves to the edge.

Quickly, he made his way to Jinn's crate. He did away with the protective spells, fully prepared to fight Jinn if the creature were still within. He was near ready to blast the creature to ashes if he could, though he knew that wouldn't help.

Ombric unfastened the lock and placed his hand upon the lid, bracing himself to open it. He took a deep breath, and hoped with all his might that there was a creature to still fight within the crate.

"One…" Another breath to steady his body's shaking.

"Two…" He stepped back slightly to prepare his stance and weapon. He was still shaking.

"Get ahold of yourself Ombric." A deep breath, then, eyes fixated on the crate, he decided he was ready.

"Three."

The lid came off.

Pure darkness waited within the crate, as if it were a liquid pool of blackness. Ombric shuddered at the idea of being in such a place for as long as Jinn had been.

He stayed at the ready for a moment, half expecting Jinn to jump out from the blackness, and half expecting that he was going to end up looking foolish for three minutes.

Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise, or perhaps not, but the latter is what happened.

"Blast it all…" Ombric cursed under his breath. He let down his weapon and hung his head.

How was he going to explain this to Mother Nature?

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It was a calm spring afternoon, just as it always was in the Warren. The wind blew softly through the cherry blossoms, and the bees and butterflies flew from flower to flower, without a care in the world, and the birds' sang sweetly, with no other reason to do so, except "just because".

It was Aster's off-season- his eggs had long since been delivered a few months ago, and his home was in tip top shape; just as he liked it. There was no need to rush anywhere, and no need to worry over anything. The thought of working- even if it were just to paint something- was absolutely out of the question and always made him nearly groan in disdain.

No, Aster was content with how things currently were. Days like these, all he needed and wished to do was to lay under a Cherry Tree and rest. He could listen to the sounds of his home and his own breathing, while the constant warm breeze blew through his fur.

Days like these were peaceful…

But they never lasted.

"Bunny. Don't move." The voice of the one person Aster really didn't want to hear right now, rang through his ears.

Almost instantly, Aster peaked an eye open to look at the pale, forever teen who stood over him. He was about to glare when he noticed Jack's determined stare and raised staff.

"Jack? What are you-"

Whack!

A shot of pain landed in the middle of Aster's forehead, and after a yelp of surprised anguish he immediately curled over on his side and cradled his head.

"Ah! It got away!" he heard Jack curse in an almost terrified manner as the boy flew up. With one paw still massaging his aching forehead, Aster sat up to glare angrily at his unwanted guest.

"What in the blazes do you think you were doin' Jack?! That bloody hurt!"

"There was big spider on your head! It was all furry and looked like Evil was put into a tiny, eight-legged body." Jack retorted indignantly. He then crossed his arms and turned away slightly, as if to pout. "You should be thanking me for saving your life."

"Saving my… Jack! You drongo! All spiders found in my Warren are harmless! They eat the pests that hurt my plants! Don't go about whackin' 'em when you feel like it!"

"Well how was I supposed to know that?! Put some signs up to warn people! 'Warning: Giant, Evil spiders are friendly; Don't kill on sight.' Is that too much to ask for?"

Dang, that was a headache coming on, wasn't it? Aster didn't have the patience for Jack right now. All he wanted was a peaceful afternoon with his egg sentinels. Not a day spent babysitting the winter imp as he flew about, causing havoc in Aster's Warren.

Taking in a deep breath, Aster massages the bridge of his nose, and then did the same to the sides of his head. It didn't help much; the headache was getting worse.

"Jack, why are you here?" he asked, in an attempt to keep things simple. With luck, he could kick the boy out before things got destroyed. (His poor head, excluded.)

"I just wanted to hang out with someone. North is 'Busy, busy. No time for play', Tooth can never really hang out without losing sight of the conversation, and I can never find Sandy. You're the only one left."

Aster was about to ask about the other possible Guardians, before he realized that Jack had never actually met them yet. Ombric, Mother Nature, Katherine, Nightlight… They'd never introduced him to them.

Sighing, Aster began to think that it would be best to just throw Jack out- screw the fact that he had no one else to go to. But upon seeing his uncertain, _begging_ grin, Aster just couldn't do it.

"Fine! But don't mess anything up! I've finally got everything in tip-top shape, an' I don't want a single sliver of frost on any of it. Understand?" he conceded with a glare. Jack practically lit up.

"Got it Mister Bunnymund, Sir!" he said with a mock salute.

"Don't do that." Was Aster's immediate retort. He then lay back down and closed his eyes.

Surprisingly, Jack did the same- albeit he did so on a branch somewhere in the tree Aster was beneath.

Aster had thought that it wouldn't be possible for Jack to sit still for more than five minutes. But he soundly proved Aster wrong when it took two and a half hours before Jack found himself back beside Aster, with an expectant look.

"What?" Aster said, but less annoyed than he probably should have been.

"I'm bored."

"Then go somewhere else."

"I don't want to."

"Should I care?" There was a momentary silence, and Aster peaked an eye open.

Instead of what he had seen before, Jack was now looking sadly and longingly down at Aster. Said Pooka felt his ear twitch in what he hoped was agitation and not pity.

"Pwease?" Jack asked, begging. He even clasped his hands together in a mock attempt to look like a kicked puppy.

Of course, something about it must have worked, because Aster soon found himself sitting up with a heavy sigh.

Next thing he knew, the two of them were walking about and talking about whatever came to Jack's mind.

It helped that Jack could come up with plenty to say, because most of the time Aster was at a loss for finding good topics.

It also helped that Jack could hold the conversation by himself most of the time. It gave Aster room to just think and observe. Occasionally he would say something to let Jack know that he was in fact listening. But otherwise, he was completely silent.

It was kind of nice. Almost like having…

No. No. It was best if Aster didn't remember that right now.

With a quiet sigh, Aster turned his attention towards Jack.

The boy was talking about the Burgess kids again- the conversation somehow always went back to them- and Jack was completely enthralled in his own story. He was even using over the top hand gestures to get his point across.

Aster couldn't help but smile at how happy Jack seemed to be. It was a small smile, but it was there just the same.

Aster would never admit it out loud, but he often felt like Jack had truly become a part of his family. Not just a member of the Guardian's family, but _his_. It was a rare thing for Aster to accept someone as his family. So far, he could only truly see Sandy and Ombric as his family. Yes, North, Tooth and the rest were close to him. The greatest friends he could ever hope for- and together, they were a family.

But _his_ family was reserved for only those who could see him for exactly who he was.

North was his closest friend to date, but despite the man being brilliant and insightful, he just didn't have what it took to truly understand Aster.

Tooth, while she had gone through a very similar loss that Aster had, wasn't close enough to him to truly understand him. She was just too hyper and multi-minded to be able to take the time to get to know him well enough.

Aster's family, he decided, was only for those who knew great loss, and who had the ability, and wanted, to understand him.

Somehow, he felt that Jack fit the criteria.

The boy constantly wanted to ask questions, but he also knew the limits without being told. Aster believed that Jack was the type of person who could deduce what a person was like, and what their true fears and strengths were, without having much to go off of. He only asked questions when he wanted to prove his own deductions.

He was very much like North in that way, only he seemed… _better_ at it, somehow. Perhaps it was because, unlike North, Jack knew to keep his thoughts to himself, and to simply observe from afar.

He kept his distance from people, but was still able to figure them out.

It was because of this, Aster didn't feel like he was hiding anything from Jack. He felt like Jack knew him well enough to be his greatest friend, even though in reality, he knew nothing about the Pooka.

Jack felt like family, even though there was practically no evidence to back the feeling up.

Aster, not for the first time, wondered if he should just tell Jack about his past and get it over with. He had told Ombric and Sandy everything, and he had already given the others a simple summary, but for some reason he hadn't told Jack yet.

It wasn't that he didn't want to- He very much wanted Jack to know about his past.

But it was the way he wanted to tell Jack that he couldn't figure out. There was something that he wanted to happen first.

He wanted…

"Hey Bunny? Can I ask you something?"

Aster turned his attention to Jack, expectantly. Jack had gone from talking about the kids to talking about his three hundred years of isolation while Aster had been thinking.

"What is it?" Aster asked when Jack didn't continue. The boy stayed quiet for another moment, before he inhaled deeply. Just when Aster believed he was about to ask his question, Jack spoke.

"Nevermind. It's not important." And then he hovered forward a bit, so he could stand next to the purple dye river.

Aster, bewildered and somewhat annoyed, was about to demand Jack ask him his question, when he suddenly felt his Warren's magic poke at him.

It made him go completely still, and his eyes glazed over as he stared at the ground. His nose twitched in an attempt to smell his surroundings, and his ears turned about in order to hear something.

However, it was neither of these senses, and instead, his magical core, that told him where the disturbance was coming from.

The destination worried him greatly.

"Jack!"

"I said it was nothing!"

"No, Jack. Come with me- Now." The winter sprite turned only in time to see the Pooka racing off towards one of his tunnels that led deeper into the Warren. The fact that his fur was on end, and that he had never allowed Jack to go into these tunnels before, were the boy's only clues that something was very wrong.

Quickly, he raced after the humanoid rabbit and readied himself for trouble.

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**There you are! Chapter 1! I hope you're enjoying the beginning of this story. I certainly am. ^v^ Review and Follow if you want, and I'll work on getting Chapter 2 done. We're going to be in Jinn's head again, next. Then we'll see North and Ombric.**

**See you next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Seriously, I'm having so much fun writing this story! :D I don't care if other people dislike it! I haven't even gotten to the main point of it all, and I LOVE it! XD This story is definitely continuing on until I'm done with it. And that IS a promise. ;)**

**On a sadder note, however, I accidentally drenched my computer in water when trying to chase my stubborn cat off the table... It's currently bathing in rice for the next two days, and hopefully it won't be destroyed. Because my entire life is in that computer. T^T Drawings, stories, game data, etc. Everything is in there, and I was in the midst of saving it all onto a thumb drive when the accident happened. Therefore, updates may be extremely slow, not because of procrastination, but because I simply have no way to work on my stories. (I'm using a school computer right now...)**

**Anyway, enough about how Ms. Fate hates my guts for no particular reason... = ~="**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians, Guardians of Childhood or any of the crossover characters/worlds that will appear in later chapters. I do not gain any profit from this, because it is purely a story that was created out of my love for these worlds, and I only want others to see the worlds how I see them. ^v^_**

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**Chapter 2:**

I had not been as prepared for this little job as I thought I would be. For one, the power source that Pitch had given me was so terribly weak that I felt little to no change in my strength when I obtained it. The shadow man was right when he had said that I would need to do this quickly, for my strength would hardly last long enough for me to complete my theft.

He had brought me as close to the Pooka's home as he could- the invisible barrier being the only thing he wished to keep a good distance from. He told me that once I had the strength from his power source, he'd drop me through a shadow and into the Pooka's Warren. From there, I was to act quickly. Exactly how I was supposed to act, he didn't actually say. And I hadn't had the foresight to ask.

His power source _really_ wasn't anything magnificent. A small pebble of black light- as if darkness had been captured within. I expected it to not work, for I was- ironically- a creature of light. I took strength from the sun, and faltered in the night.

His grimace when I took the pebble showed that he believed it would have had more effect on me. With a shrug of disinterest, I used what little I could get from the source and shifted into what Pitch wanted me to be.

I was furry, and tall. My fluff was of light darkness- words for a color I do not yet know- and I had the normal amount of limbs and eyes for once. Though, normal is _ab_normal to me, for I have hardly known anything_ other_ than me.

Holding up my forelimbs, I see that I have two paws with small, retractable claws. Down below I find long, strong legs meant for running and jumping, and two feet that are almost just as long. Using my forepaws, I feel my head to make sure everything is as it should be.

Two eyes; a small, cold nose; and long whiskers on both sides of my short snout. Last, but not least, I feel two long ears twitch atop my head, and a little, furry tail wag behind me.

"Do I look Pookan?" I ask the shadow man. He answers by dropping me through a shadow and into the Warren.

From there, I move quickly. This new world that I'm in is strange, but I feel as though I've seen it before. Perhaps I visited it once in a vision, though that would hardly help me now.

The place is filled with warmth and light. Insects fly to and fro, and the bird's singing is compelling me to simply lie down and rest.

But no- I've had enough time to sleep for the past millenniums.

Looking about, I try to pinpoint the power source Pitch told me about.

It's supposed to be egg shaped. However, unlike the giant, stone, egg sentinels that I'm avoiding, the egg I'm looking for shimmers with pure light.

"Ancient light that was harvested by the Pooka race long ago. It's extremely powerful and is certain to give you your lost energy back." Pitch had said.

However, nothing around here looked remotely close to such a thing.

Suddenly, my new ears picked up the sound of someone speaking in the distance. In shock and with the self-preservation instincts keeping my adrenaline up, I shot away quicker than I had ever run before. I had to admit, these legs were useful.

I'd never match up to the speed of a Pooka, which Pitch momentarily told me about once, but these were still pretty great.

After finding myself in a bush, a good long way from where the voice had come from, I calmed myself down. Peeking out from my hiding place, I attempted to see if I could get a look at what had spoken without drawing attention to myself.

It took me a moment, for these Pookan eyes weren't as good as I'd like them to be, but… there!

A good long ways off, I could just make out the forms of two creatures. One was Pookan looking- Bunnymund, is what Pitch called him- and the other looked like a small… what was the word? Human? Yes, that was it. A small human who was completely pale and white, with only a dark blue covering and faded brown leg coverings to give him color.

Interesting…

I didn't have time to watch them, though. I could already feel my new form becoming permanent, and the little power I had was fading.

And I still had no idea where I was to go.

Was it possible that Bunnymund kept his relic on him? Yes, it was, but Pitch made it sound as though it was hidden elsewhere. Perhaps… deeper within the Warren?

I couldn't fathom how or where "deeper" would be, until I saw a few tunnels dug into the sides of the Warren's walls.

Should I go into one of those? If so, which one? There were _many_.

Pondering on this for a moment, I finally notice something. Each tunnel had an etching above it, like some sort of picture. Probably so Bunnymund could remember what each one was for.

The tunnels I was currently looking at all had very strange pictures. I couldn't hope to understand them, at all.

Grimacing, I continue to look for others. As I walk, I notice that the part of the Warren that I'm in looks… older, I guess would be the word. Or, it's not so much that it looks older, but rather, that it _feels_ older. The ruins and the smell in the air have an ancient aura about them. The walls of stone look tired- ready to break- while the wind gives off a feeling of being able to tell me many timeless stories. Both wonderful and tragic ones.

I find it somewhat eerie.

Then, I come upon a few more tunnels. The pictures above these are not as detailed as the ones before- as if the creator didn't care as much for them, because he didn't really need them, and they were there as just a necessity- but I could actually make out what these things were, unlike before.

Three tunnels, and three pictures. The first had a rectangle, with many little, equal-sized squares filling it up. The next one had an egg, and above it was a misshapen "M". The last tunnel had the picture of a flower above it.

I would have bypassed these tunnels, seeing as none of them looked very promising. However, the sudden feeling of being weaker hit me, and I found myself racing into the middle tunnel before I could even think about it.

I had to try at least one, or else I knew I'd regret it later.

Whether I had gotten lucky, or not, was up to perspective.

When the long tunnel finally ended, I found large chambers, filled to the brim with eggs of all kinds. I suddenly understood what the symbol above the tunnel opening meant.

Egg Museum.

And indeed, it was. I couldn't recognize even three of these many eggs, for I only knew of two- chicken eggs, and the egg of light that I was supposed to find.

I didn't waste much time looking about though. Sure, I looked, but only to see if any single egg was the one I was looking for.

I attempted to shift my eyes so that they'd be able to detect light better, but was unpleasantly surprised when nothing happened.

I was stuck in the Pooka form now, until I found something to get power from.

Biting my lip, I looked about more frantically.

I was turning my head about so quickly, that I forgot to look forward. And just like an idiot, I ran right into a wall.

No… Not a wall…

A door. And a large, heavy door at that.

Hope flared within me, and I delicately put my hands upon the door. Bracing myself for disappointment, I opened it.

Two things happened after that. One- a brilliant light nearly blinded me, until I looked away and adjusted my eyes. It was exactly what I had been looking for- The egg of light.

And two- I could feel the magical alarm that was most likely being sent to this Warren's inhabitant.

There was no time to rejoice in my finding.

I quickly made my way to the egg.

/\/\/\\.../\/\/\\.../\/\/\

The run had been quick, and Jack hardly got a time to look at anything before they came to a large, iron door.

Not that he hadn't taken notice of the large museum of eggs that obviously came about from an obsessed- maybe crazy- humanoid rabbit's longing to have every egg known to exist. Jack just didn't have time to really look at any of it at the moment.

'_But I'm _so_ mentioning it later…_' He thought impishly.

Seeing Bunny take out his boomerangs, Jack readied his staff for a fight.

"What's in there?" he asked quietly. Bunny looked at him, his ears twitching towards the door in an attempt to hear what was within.

"The one thing I don't want leavin' this Warren. Ever. Again." He replied seriously. He had only used the Egg to fight Pitch once, and ever since, he'd kept it safe within this room. No one was to use or touch it, but him. It was too powerful a force to just let anybody have it.

And now, Aster wasn't sure who was foolish enough to try and take it.

Pitch couldn't get in, and no one else like him for that matter- Aster's wards were too well placed and too strong.

Anyone that could get through the wards without hindrance were a welcome- except a certain winter imp- because their cores were pure. And even then, none of them would ever take the egg, let alone go into this tunnel.

So who was behind the door?

Suddenly, both Guardians felt a strong, magical pull come from within the room.

"I don't bloody need this right now." Aster cursed angrily as he readied himself to kick the door open.

Jack only had seconds to prepare before the door stood wide open for them to see inside. There was a blinding light- brighter than it should be, Aster noted. And when they could see well enough again, they noticed a large ring of light that seemed to balance upright, and it pooled inward, as if creating a door. In front of it, the silhouette of some creature.

At first, they both saw something different. Jack thought he was looking at another Bunny, while Aster stared with an open jaw, at what he believed was another _Pooka_.

Both were shocked equally, but this turned to a small form of terror when it _looked_ at them.

The eyes were thinly slitted, like that of a snake, or an angry cat. And the pupils were _red_ instead of black.

"What the…" Jack said quietly, confused. Aster just stared, slack-jawed, at the _thing_ that held his people's form. This _monster_ was wearing their face.

And in his paws?

"You better drop that mate. Before I do somethin' to ya that you'll hate." He said it with a dark tone, and Jack shivered because _he'd never heard Bunny so angry_.

The creature just looked at them. However, his gaze seemed almost as shocked as their own.

"It's so powerful…" it whispered just loud enough for Aster to hear. Then, the creature smirked.

"I feel better." it said. And then, its form began to change. Gone were the tall, rabbit ears, and now two long, floppy dog ears sat on the sides of his head.

Said head formed a more canine appearance with a devilish angle, and two dragon horns grew out the top of his forehead, just above his new ears.

He kept his humanoid pose, but his body's fur became a bit longer and rougher. His forepaws became more dogish, and his hind legs grew into scaly, dragon feet.

Finally, his small rabbit tale grew and parted into two long lion tails.

The creature stopped changing then, and he threw his head back and laughed in rejoice.

"I feel _normal_ again!" it cried, and Jack felt a pull of… something. Some emotion stirred within him, but he couldn't pin-point what.

"Well, I'm glad you feel so _great_!" Aster yelled angrily at the creature, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "But I'd like that egg back now!"

The creature stopped laughing and turned to the two Guardians.

"Are you joking?" it asked without expecting an answer. "I'm not giving this up! Besides, I don't break my promises."

"Promise? To who?" Jack asked. The creature turned its attention to him and smirked. It was about to answer when the cavern shook, throwing them all off balance.

The strange pool of light behind the creature suddenly burst open, and a portal- with a strong sense of gravitational pull- appeared. Before the creature could right itself, the portal began to pull it towards itself.

"Ah!" the creature flailed about, but instead ended up on the ground, as it slowly inched back towards the portal. It still had the egg clutched tightly in its paws.

"Help!" it called out.

Jack, who had managed to grasp the door's handle, was overcome with the need to do as the creature asked. He wanted to help it.

However, the moment he let go to chase after the creature, Aster grabbed onto him, as he held onto the egg's stone pedestal.

"What are you doing?!" Jack yelled at him. "It needs help!"

"And how do ya suggest doin' that Jack?! For one, we don't know where that portal will lead- it could get you killed! And for two, why should we help it at all?! It brought this upon itself! Leave it be, and if we can, we'll follow it later! But only so I can get the Egg back and kick its sorry little arse back to wherever it came from!"

"Please! Somebody!" the creature yelped loudly. It was inches from the portal now. Jack didn't like the feeling that came to him as Aster's grip on his arm strengthened, and as the creature disappeared behind blinding light, before the portal finally closed.

When the two Guardians finally righted themselves again, Aster barely had time to register the events of what had just happened, before he felt himself get shoved backwards. Hard enough to maybe leave a bruise.

"You asshole! It needed our help, and you just let it go!" Jack yelled at him. Aster felt anger boil into his throat.

"It stole from me. If you think I'll care about a creature that steals something so important to me, then-"

"Shut it Aster!" Said Pooka accidentally flinched. Jack had never used his true name before. "If you're trying to tell me that some object of ultimate power is more important than one, strange creature's life, then you are in no way someone I want to associate with!"

Aster was about to retort, he really was.

But he was sidetracked by the freezing pain that shot up his legs as Jack iced him to the ground. Jack turned away and began walking out the door.

"I'll be at North's, telling him what happened. Meet us there when you're done thawing yourself out."

Sometimes, Aster wished he could melt the winter imp with his glares.

/\/\/\\.../\/\/\\.../\/\/\

Meanwhile, at the North Pole, Ombric was busy explaining what had happened to North.

"And it was just gone North! I don't know how Pitch did it, but we'll all be in a large pickle if he manages to get Jinn to work for him!" Ombric was obviously stressed. Whether it was from having to deal with getting a creature that was probably capable of mass destruction back, or from having lost one of Mother Nature's creations, and her wrath impendingly being brought nearer and nearer to the old wizard, the longer Jinn was gone- North just didn't know.

"Calm down, old friend! We will get Jinn back. Could not have gone far- just need to look." North tried to soothe.

"But _Pitch_ has him North! Unless we find Pitch before he puts one of his plans to work, we'll be hearing about is from Seraphina!"

"You mean, you will be. I did not lose Jinn." North stated with an impish grin as Ombric seethed at his ex-student.

"You know what I mean, North!"

"Ombric- How could Jinn do any harm? Mother Nature say that he can only work with power, yes?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then no worries. Pitch has little power, let alone enough to share. We wait until Jinn shows up, then recapture him. Easy, see?"

"North…" Ombric felt like massaging his temples, but held back so he'd seem more in control. He had a major headache coming on, and he really needed a rest. But he couldn't rest until he found Jinn.

"You know what?" North asked.

"What?"

"I find it very funny that Mother Nature named her creation Jinn."

"Why's that?"

"Is very similar to my Djinni, no?"

"No North. It's not the same at all." North frowned as Ombric finally sat down in exhaustion. He'd already spent a little over two hours searching _everywhere_. He seriously needed a break. When the old man peeked an eye open, he saw North looking about, before going over to a yeti.

"Where'd I put Djinni again?" he asked the yeti, who just warbled a reply that Ombric didn't understand. The one language he, for some reason, didn't get.

"Ah! Yes, that's right. Oh vell. Didn't need him anyway." Though North's sad expression said otherwise.

Ombric wondered where the old toy-maker had misplaced his masterpiece this time. He'd, surprisingly, become quite forgetful in his old age.

Suddenly, the wind howled outside and a window opened. For one, terrifying moment, Ombric thought it was Mother Nature, come to break his spine. But when it was just Jack, the new Guardian he had yet to meet, who came in, he sighed in relief.

The relief was short lived though, as the boy spoke.

"Something broke into the Warren and stole something."

Great.

Ombric massaged the bridge of his nose.

Just great.

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**Okay, we're almost done with Part 1. ("Almost", meaning "Probably half way" XD) I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Please review and follow. (Reviews give me inspiration and followers make me work ;D) Have a good day/night!**


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